Project Repat turns old T-shirts into quilts, targets $2M in revenue this year

The founders of Cambridge-based Project Repat have found a way to make a profit out of re-purposing the T-shirts that people keep stored in the back of their closets out of posterity, novelty or nostalgia.

The startup, which makes a range of quilts for customers out of their old T-shirts, is expecting more than $2 million in revenue this year, up from $1 million in 2013, said Nathan Rothstein, president of Project Repat.

The quilts are a "modern form of scrap-booking," Rothstein said, and customers include former sorority or fraternity members, mothers whose children are graduating from high school or college, and those who have participated in athletic events such as road races.

"We've found this product really applies to almost any American who has participated in anything throughout their lives," Rothstein said.

About 15 percent of the quilts are made for customers who want to memorialize a loved one who has passed away, Rothstein said.

The idea came to Rothstein and co-founder Ross Lohr in 2012, when they set out to find new uses for old T-shirts that get distributed in the U.S., donated to thrift shops, and then wind up being shipped and sold overseas.

They started out by sewing the T-shirts into tote bags and scarves and selling them at outdoor markets such as SoWa. Then, customers began asking Rothstein and Lohr if there was a way to turn their treasured T-shirts into quilts.

"We didn't know it at the time, but there was a demand in the marketplace for an affordable way to preserve your T-shirt memories," Rothstein said.

The quilts range from $60 to about $190 depending on the size, and they're made at factories in Fall River, Mass., and North Carolina.

This year, the startup hopes to make quilts for 30,000 customers, up from 15,000 in 2013.

Project Repat's future plans include debuting a new website in early 2015 and continuing to grow the business, which is currently profitable, Rothstein said.

"Now, it's really about figuring out how to scale this," he said. "We're making about 500 (quilts) a week now, and during the holiday season we're expecting to make 1,000 a week. What we're constantly working on is how to make this process as efficient as possible."

The company is backed by $18,000 from San Francisco-based startup incubator Hub Ventures and personal investments of about $4,000.

Project Repat is headquartered at Workbar in Central Square and is run by Rothstein, a graduate of UMass Amherst; co-founder and CEO Lohr, a graduate of Boston University and Brandeis, and about 20 contractors.